Jon the Guide
by Maevenn
Summary: To Guide or not to Guide, that is the question. Can Jon O'Neill make this kind of commitment? And just what the hell is he getting himself into? Buffy/Sentinel/Stargate x-over, sequel to Xander the Sentinel
1. Chapter 1

**1. Chapter 1**

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel: the series, The Sentinel, or Stargate: SG1. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of this author. This author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 1

_I'm gonna kill Jack,_ Jon thought to himself for the fiftieth time that day. And it wasn't even noon yet. _And Daniel's gonna be next!_

The two men had been hovering over him for the past two days since they'd gotten back from Cascade. There was absolutely no question of being able to rest comfortably in his usual bed in Jack's cabin, either. Oh no, instead, he was holed up here in the SGC, under the damn mountain, and had two grown men playing nursemaid-slash-bodyguard. They were driving him freakin' nuts! And Sam and Teal'c were smirking at the Mother Hens, enjoying themselves at his expense!

Jon took out his frustrations playing Halo on the X-Box 360, alternately imagining his targets with greying or brown hair.

"Carter!" came a yell from the door to the office.

"You bellowed, Sir?" asked Samantha Carter, looking up from her computer.

"Funny. Just tell me what you've found."

"Well, pretty much what we expected. The NID disavows all knowledge of the 'rogue agents' operations and deeply regrets the incident. Someone covered up their tracks pretty thoroughly, Sir. The good news is that whatever fried those computers at that research facility seems to have destroyed any data that was transmitted as well as what was onsite. It was a pretty nasty looking virus, but fortunately it seems to have had very limited goals or else it might be spreading still."

Jack thought Sam sounded like she admired whoever had done it. He thought about telling her that the hacker was some sort of animal spirit, but while it was an entertaining thought, he didn't want to have to deal with the whole "magic's impossible" meltdown. Not that he didn't agree with her, but he didn't have any other explanation at the moment.

"So, basically, the NID is getting off scot free again, is what you're telling me?" Jack said with a grimace.

"Well, those agents are going to jail, but, yes, we can't pin anything on the NID itself. Sorry Sir," she said apologetically.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed in frustration. "Not your fault Sam."

"So how is Jon doing?"

"That reminds me, I gotta go check on him and bring him some of that blue jello." And he quickly left. Sam just smirked, and went to visit Jon for herself.

"Jack, I don't want any more jello-" Jon protested, and pushed the bowl away from him.

"Nonsense, it's blue! Who doesn't love blue jello? Come on, you need to get your strength up," Jack pushed the bowl back across the tray on Jon's lap.

Jon heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" Sam walked in, barely hiding her amusement.

"Hi Jon, how are you feeling today?" she asked.

"I'm fine! Ask Janet, she wouldn't have let me out of the infirmary if I wasn't!" Jon said heatedly.

Walking in behind Sam, Dr. Janet Frasier said, "I heard that. And while I let you out of the infirmary, since the hospital at Cascade did a good job patching you up, it was with the express instructions that you get some rest!"

"Whoa, don't glare at me Doc! Jack's the one that's been pestering me every 10 minutes, and if it isn't him it's Daniel! 'Have some jello', 'let me fluff your pillow', 'can i help you to the bathroom' – fer cryin' out loud, make 'em stop! I can't take it anymore!" Jon begged.

Sam and Janet had to restrain themselves from laughing. Jack just had this sheepish yet stubborn look on his face, as if he was embarrassed to be caught caring so much, but was determined that no one would prevent him from doing what he was doing.

"Come on Sir," Sam said, taking Jack by the arm, "let's you and me go find Daniel and have a little talk." Jon shot a grateful look at her, as they walked out.

"So Doc, what can I do for ya?" She pulled out a needle, and he groaned. "Gah, taking or giving?"

"Giving. It's time for your painkiller. No arguments, I know the signs of an O'Neill in pain, oh cranky one."

"So who's arguing?" and he sighed in relief and sank back onto his bunk. Janet gently brushed the hair out of his eyes, as he slipped into sleep, then put the untouched tray on the nightstand. Then she lowered the lights and closed the door, nodding to the Airmen guarding it, and went back to her infirmary.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

They found Daniel in the commissary, putting some jello on a tray. Sam grinned. "Let me guess, that's for Jon, right?"

Daniel smiled sheepishly. "How'd you guess?"

"You two have been driving Jon nuts. Give him a break, there's only so much jello he can eat."

"There is no such thing as too much blue jello!" insisted Jack. Sam just rolled her eyes at him.

As they were settling down at a table, Teal'c arrived. "O'Neill, General Hammond asked me to request that you meet with him in his office."

"Did he say what it was about, T?"

"He did not," the Jaffa replied.

"Need us to come along, Jack?" inquired Daniel.

Jack shook his head. "Nah, just save me some jello."

* * *

General Hammond sat at his desk, waiting for Colonel O'Neill to arrive. He'd just finished speaking with Dr. Frasier and confirmed that Jonathan could be moved off-base, but he didn't think the Colonel would be in agreement. Although Jonathan was his younger clone, he knew that to Jack, the fiction that he was his son, created to give the boy a legal identity, had taken on a reality of its own in his heart.

Jack knocked on the open door. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes Colonel. Please come in."

Jack entered and closed the door behind him. "What's this about, sir?"

"Well, it seems those Detectives from Cascade are coming down to get Jon's statement about the kidnapping. Apparently the other victim and his companions are coming as well."

"Swell."

"Colonel, this means Jon will need to be moved off-base. Dr. Frasier says he can convalesce at your place rather than enter the hospital, as long as he gets some rest."

"Uh-uh. No way, sir. The NID might try for him again. At least here on base he's protected!"

"I understand how you feel Colonel, but Jon will have guards, and once these people have left he can come back on base, until he's fully recovered and we're sure that the rogue NID agents have all been tracked down." Jack looked like he wanted to object further, but the General held up his hand to forestall him. "Colonel – Jack – I understand how you feel...If it were my granddaughters who had been harmed or were under threat of attack, I'd feel the same way. But these civilians don't have clearance, so we can't let them on base, yet we can't refuse this request. So consider this an order and get it done. Dismissed." Jack angrily saluted and left the office. The General winced as the door slammed and reached for some Tylenol, his head was pounding.

As Jack reached Jon's room, he saw his team packing Jon's things. "So I see you know."

"Yes sir, Janet told us," Sam confirmed. "Jon is getting dressed now, and complaining about the wheelchair."

"Wheelchair?" Jack asked.

"Janet's insisting, says he needs to rest and not exert himself, or he'll aggravate his injuries."

"Okay, I can accept that."

"Great, now go convince him," said Daniel with a smile.

* * *

Finally settled comfortably on his – no, Jack's – sofa, watching The Simpsons, Jon sighed in contentment. The only fly in the ointment, so to speak, was that Jack and Daniel were still hovering and fussing at him. "Alright, that's it!" he barked. "I may look like a 16 year old, but I don't need my mommy, so would the two of you please – back – off!" he demanded in exasperation.

"Well, you certainly have the moody teenager schtick down pat," quipped Jack.

"Bite me," Jon snarked back. The affronted looks on Jack's and Daniel's faces had Sam giggling merrily. Teal'c, as always, remained expressionless, but she could tell by the twinkle in his eyes and the almost imperceptible curve of a lip, that he was laughing on the inside.

"So when do these people get here, anyways Jack?" asked Jon curiously.

"Tomorrow. Guess we'll have to cook something up on the grill to feed the hoard."

Daniel snorted. "Six is not a hoard, Jack."

"Well, it's more than two. Why are the other boy and his friends coming? They don't need to be here for Jon's statement. It's suspicious," Jack asked.

"Jack, stop being so paranoid!"

"It's not paranoia if they are really out to get you, Danny.'

"Indeed, DanielJackson. I must concur with O'Neill in his suspicions, there is no logical reason for the other victim and his companions to come to Colorado Springs." Jack gave Teal'c a grateful look; it was nice to have someone agree with him for once.

"Carter, see what you can dig up on these people, Alexander Harris, Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenburg, and Buffy Summers."

"Who names their daughter Buffy?" Sam asked incredulously, as she pulled her laptop out of its case to comply with her CO's request.

"I know. Oh, see what you can find on those detectives, Blair Sandburg and Jim Ellison, while you're at it." Jack rummaged around in the fridge as he was talking to her.

"Yes Sir."

Having found what he was looking for, he went over and plunked himself on the couch beside Jon, and handed him a bowl of jello.

"ARGH! Jaaaaaaack!" Jon groaned in disgust. He never wanted to see another bowl of jello ever again.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"Buffy, do stop dawdling, we have no time for shopping," Giles scolded as Buffy lingered in front of a trendy boutique in the airport mall.

"But Giles, I didn't get to do any shopping in Cascade, I'm going into withdrawal here!" Buffy said with the slightest of smiles, in just the whiny tone of voice she knew drove her Watcher nuts. She watched him surreptitiously, hoping for a glasses-polish maneuver. _C'mon Giles, there's a three-way tie, I need the point, we're almost out of the airport….yesssss! Score! We're almost out of the airport, now if only Xan and Willow don't score a point, I'll win._ Grinning, she stuck out her tongue at Xander and Willow behind Giles' back.

Unbeknownst to the poor Watcher, his three charges were playing their favourite game of Bewilder the British Guy. They'd agreed that whoever could make Giles polish his glasses would score a point, the next point could only be counted after he'd replaced his glasses, and one of his rare "Dear Lords" was worth 5 points. The game had started at the Cascade airport and would finish when they exited the one at Colorado Springs. Until just now, they'd had a three way tie of 3-3-3, but now Buffy was leading with 4 points.

Blair looked on in amusement. From the whispers Jim had overheard and shared with him, he knew exactly what was going on, and he was finding it hard not to laugh at their antics. Even Jim had a bit of a smile on his face.

"Yes, Giles," Blair chimed in with a mischievous grin, "from what I've learned from our conversations, shopping to Buffy is better than sex. However can you deny the poor girl?"

"Dear Lord!" Giles declared, flustered.

Blair winked at the blushing Buffy and Willow. Xander chuckled and mock-genuflected in Blair's direction, acknowledging the winner of the game, as Blair had timed his quip just before they reached the doors to the airport.

Jim laughed and waved them through. "C'mon Chief, you and the delinquents over there have had enough fun at Giles' expense. Let's pick up the rental and get to the hotel."

* * *

Once they'd settled into their rooms, Blair went to check on Xander. Giles, Willow and Buffy went to play cards at the table at one end of the suite, to give them the illusion of privacy, while Blair and Xander sat on the couch.

"So, how're you feeling Xander? Any sensory spikes?"

Xander took a moment to perform what he called, in a moment of unabashed geekiness, a self-diagnostic. "Nope, Prof. I dialed down my hearing for most of the plane ride like you told me to, and it worked like a charm. Right now the dials are all set at normal levels, and while it feels like they kinda want to spin around, I am managing to keep my senses from going all wonky for the moment."

"Good, good. This will get easier with a full-time Guide. Beyond the fact that your Guide is there to help you with any spikes or zone-outs, as you practice using your senses with the Guide and the bond deepens, you will experience them less and less." Blair explained.

Xander had wanted to ask this for a while. "Blair, what is this bond you keep talking about?"

Blair thought about how to answer that question. He didn't want to scare the boy, the bond was very necessary to the Sentinel-Guide pairing, but some people didn't react well to all the ramifications. "I'm gonna wait to give the full explanation when Jon is there to hear it too, since he will need to know. For now, suffice it to say that the bond is a spiritual connection between the Sentinel and Guide, which allows them to work together to protect the Tribe."

"Okay, I guess I can wait." Xander felt Blair was holding back but he would be patient – for now.

Jim knocked on the door of the Sunnydalers' hotel suite. "Chief, guys – ready to go?"

"Yes Jim, we're done." Blair replied. Giles, Willow and Buffy got up from the table and they all left for their appointment with Jon and his dad Jack.

* * *

"Xander! Will you please sit still?!" Giles demanded in exasperation. The boy had started the car ride calmly enough, but he was now almost vibrating with unspent energy, and his fidgeting was driving him to distraction, since Xander was seated in the back seat between him and Buffy. "If one of you fed him chocolate before we left, I will thrash you," was the dire promise.

Willow's eyes widened. "I didn't feed him chocolate, oh no, that would be bad! Xander on chocolate in a small confined space, oh god, thatwouldbeliketheroadrunner oncrack Xanderdidyougetintotheminifr idgeinthehotelroom?"

"Relax Wills, G-man. I didn't have any chocolate." _Yet,_ he smirked to himself, patting the three chocolate bars in his coat pocket. "I'm just feeling kinda wired, dunno why."

Blair glanced back at him from the front seat. "Take a few deep breaths, Xander, see if that calms you down. You too, Willow," he said, smiling at her.

"We're almost there anyways," Jim said. True to his word, after the next turn he pulled up and parked the car in front of what had to be Colonel O'Neill's house. They all piled out and walked up to the front door, and knocked.

The door opened and Jack greeted them. "Hiya folks, welcome to my humble home. Come on in." Strangely, the kids and the librarian guy, Giles, winced slightly as they accepted the invitation. There was no such weird reaction from the Detectives, though. Jack shrugged and closed the door. "Ok, we're all out back, I'm grilling up some hamburgers and hotdogs since Jon wants some {quote} real food {unquote}," he said, making quotation marks in the air with his hands as he spoke.

"Oh man, I can sympathize. I'm starving, these guys only let me have soups and puddings and stuff since I got out of the hospital," Xander complained.

Buffy snorted. "You are always hungry, Xander, you're a bottomless pit!"

"Takes one to know one, Slay-gal. Oooof! What was that for?" Xander gasped and glared at Buffy for elbowing him in the ribs.

"Ix-nay on the aygalslay, Xan!"

"Uh, that's just a nickname I gave her, 'cause she's so funny she slays me, ya know? But she doesn't like it very much."

"Oh yes, Buffy's a regular comedian," Willow agreed.

Jack shook his head. _I will never understand teenagers. _

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

earlier the same day

Jack, the rest of SG-1 and Jon were sitting in the living room. "Ok Carter, whaddaya got?"

"Well Sir, there's not all that much to tell on the Sunnydale folk. The three kids are each 16 years old, they attend Sunnydale High School, where Mr. Giles is the librarian. Their Principal, a Mr. Snyder, seems to have a low opinion of them, has labeled them as troublemakers, their school records have numerous detentions noted. Oh, Ms. Summers moved to Sunnydale a few months ago due to being expelled for burning the gym down at her old high school in LA, she claimed it was an accident, and the authorities seem to back her up on that – she was never charged – but the school board still banned her from that or any other of the public high schools in LA."

"Hmm, she was a bit wild from what I recall during our time in Cascade, but she certainly didn't seem like an arsonist," observed Daniel.

Sam continued. "Mr. Rupert Giles is a bit more interesting. He's a British National on a visa here in the US. He was a curator at the British Museum in London before he left a year or so ago to come here and became a librarian at the Sunnydale High School."

Jack interrupted. "See, now that's suspicious. Who goes from being a curator in a prestigious museum in London, England to a high school librarian in a small town in California? And why the hell is he travelling with these kids, two of them young girls, instead of their parents?"

"Well, you'd have to ask Mr. Giles about his choice of careers, but from what I was able to gather, none of these kids have a terribly stable home life, and he is a mentor of sorts to them. He supervises their after-school club. I didn't dig more deeply into their home lives than that, sir, as I deemed it irrelevant and an invasion of privacy, but if you want me to, I can."

"No, I guess you're right, they are just kids….a little weird, but just kids."

"Jack – all kids are weird to adults, teenagers especially," Daniel said.

"HEY!" Jon squawked indignantly.

"Sorry – present company excepted, of course," Daniel said, nodding at Jon with a smile. _Yeah, right. Hello, you are a teenaged clone of a 50-something Air Force Colonel working on a top secret government project having to do with aliens and wormholes. If that isn't weird, I don't know what is. _he thought privately to himself.

"Okay, so what about those detectives from Cascade?" Jack asked.

"Well, they are a more interesting pair. Detective Jim Ellison was a captain in the US Army Rangers. He was the only survivor during a covert op in Peru that left him stranded for several months with a tribe of Chopec natives. When he was rescued and returned to the States, he joined the Cascade Police force, first in Vice and then in Major Crimes Division. His solve rate climbed dramatically after Blair Sandburg joined the force as an official Police Observer as part of his thesis work, and became Ellison's partner. Blair Sandburg became a Detective in his own right about 3 years later, after a scandal surrounding his doctoral thesis left him discredited in the intellectual community and he decided to attend the police academy."

"What kind of scandal?"

"I can answer that, Jack." Daniel cleared his throat. "He wrote his thesis on Sentinels, warriors that use enhanced senses and some metaphysical abilities to protect the 'tribe' in partnership with Guides, men with metaphysical abilities of their own that they use to help the Sentinels. The thesis was leaked to the media and got a lot of attention, until he publically disavowed it and claimed it was all a fraud. But I don't believe it is a fraud, I believe Jim Ellison is a Sentinel, and Blair Sandburg is his Guide. What's more, I think Xander may be a Sentinel too, remember what we overheard in the hotel room, the Sunnydale folk originally went to Cascade to seek out Blair's help on Xander's behalf."

"Yeah, I remember now." Jack confirmed. "Damn! I remember something else too. Just before we brought Jon back home, Sandburg was trying to convince me we had to stay in Cascade, and he said something about Xander imprinting…" Jack and Daniel exchanged a look and then turned to look over at Jon.

Jon felt the tension in the room escalate, pressing in on him like a physical thing. _Why are Jack and Danny looking at me like that? Imprinting…? _As the meaning of what Jack said sank in, Jon had just one thing to say.

"Crap!"

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Once everyone was in the backyard, Jack made some introductions.

Pointing at his team, he said, "You already know Daniel, the blonde over there is Major Doctor Samantha Carter, my 2IC; the big guy is Murray, the fourth member of my team; and of course that's my son Jon, whom you all helped rescue but only Xander really got to spend any 'quality time' with." Then he introduced his team to the newcomers. "So team, meet Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenburg, Rupert Giles and Xander Harris from Sunnydale, California and Detectives Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg from Cascade, Washington."

He watched the boy Xander; his eyes had snapped right to Jon the moment he'd stepped into the backyard, and now he seemed to be panting and scenting the air. He noticed that Sandburg and Ellison were flanking the boy on either side, and Sandburg was rubbing circles on his hand and speaking softly to him. His friends were watching him with concern, as well.

Jon, for his part, had eyes only for Xander as well. Jon felt anxious, as if he was both pulled to and repulsed by Xander.

Daniel asked, "Is Xander alright? He seems….stressed." Glancing at the other boy, he thought _I could probably say the same for Jon._

Giles spoke up "Yes, well, that is a somewhat accurate observation. Aside from the Detectives needs concerning the case, Xander is why we are here. I think Blair can explain it best however."

"I think we already have an idea what this is about, but Blair's the expert, so by all means, explain," Jack said. He did not move from where he was standing, however, which was between Jon and the others.

Blair directed Xander to a bench, and Jim sat beside him. "Well, I guess that means Daniel read my thesis then, and shared his findings with you. So, let's get right down to it. But this has to remain confidential, this information is dangerous to me and Jim, and others like us."

"Dangerous how?"

"You are a military man, Colonel. Imagine the value that the abilities of Sentinels and Guides would have in the military, in covert agencies such as the CIA, in all sorts of other professions. With agencies like the NID out there, willing to kidnap Jon just to get some leverage over you, what would they do to get their hands on people like us? We don't want to become lab rats."

"I see your point. You have my word, none of this will go in any official reports."

"Ok. So, Jim is a Sentinel, which means his five senses are greatly enhanced, which is pretty handy as a Detective, he's his own walking crime lab. He was a great detective before his senses came online, now he is exceptional. I am his Guide, I help keep him centered so that his senses don't become hyperactive and overwhelm him, or so that he doesn't become lost in one sense and 'zone out'. A 'zone out', as we call them, means the Sentinel becomes oblivious to the world, which can be dangerous, as Jim learned when we first met; he had zoned out in the middle of a road and was almost run over by a truck."

"Your thesis mentioned 'metaphysical abilities.' Was that referring to that spirit guide mumbo jumbo?" Jack asked.

"In part, yes. All Sentinels and Guides have an animal spirit guide to help them. There are also dreams that can be prophetic in nature. Finally, Guides are empathic – they sense emotions and use their empathic abilities to stabilize their Sentinel, and also in their own way to protect the Tribe. Some Guides have healing abilities, and very strong ones can project their empathic abilities."

Jon spoke up. "So what does the Guide get out of this? Sounds to me like the Guide is subservient to the Sentinel."

"Guides get the protection and strength of the Sentinel, physically, mentally and emotionally. Guides, empaths, especially strong ones, need someone to provide them with stability just as much as Sentinels need Guides. Just as a Sentinel's abilities are valuable, imagine what a strong projecting empath could do…calm a crowd on the verge of rioting, for example. But such a function would leave the Guide vulnerable, so the Sentinel protects him. It is a symbiotic relationship, the best pairings are an equal partnership."

"Well, I can tell you think I'm one of these Guides," Jon said. "But I'm no empath."

"I think you are wrong Jon. I can see you reacting to the emotions around you right now, whether you realize it or not. You feel Xander's need for you, don't you? At the same time, you also feel the anxiety of your and Xander's friends, and your father's fear."

"Fear?! I'm not afraid."

"Aren't you Jack? You are afraid that Jon might be a Guide, and what it would mean for him. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's a natural reaction for a father to have." Blair, his own shields straining under the assault of the emotions circling amongst this group, felt a surge of shame/fear/deception come from Jack. _Hmmmm…._

"So, assuming I am empathic, which I'm not sure of, what does this mean then?"

"Well, as you've all guessed, Xander is a Sentinel, and I believe you Jon are a Guide. I also believe that during your mutual ordeal, Xander imprinted on you, and you on him."

"Imprinted?"

"It's the beginning stage of a Bond."

"What's this bond?" Samantha asked, unable to remain quiet any longer. She had a million questions but tried to restrain herself.

"It's the connection between the Sentinel and his Guide that allows them to function as a team. It binds them together so that they will always be aware of each other and each other's needs and well-being. Without the bond, they would be much less effective, and vulnerable to other unbonded Sentinels or Guides."

"What if I don't want to be Xander's Guide?" At this, Xander, quiet until now, mewled in distress. Willow looked stricken, as well, knowing what the lack of a Guide had already put Xander through, and his bleak future without one.

"That's your choice, Jon. No one is going to force you. But now that your empathic abilities seem to be coming online, you will need the stability a Sentinel can provide, or need to find some other way to handle your abilities, so that you don't overload from the emotions you pick up around you, nor accidentally cause someone harm."

Xander tried to reassure him, even though he was clearly under stress. "I won't force you Jon, I couldn't ever hurt you. And before you even agree to be my Guide, you and I have to talk, there are things you need to know about my life."

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Jon got up with some difficulty and gestured to Xander to walk with him towards a picnic table further back in the yard, under some trees.

Before Xander followed, Blair said to him, in a whisper for Sentinel ears only, "Don't touch him Xander, you are barely holding yourself out of bonding thrall as it is, if you really want him to have a choice, or yourself for that matter, don't touch him, and try not to focus too much on the sensory input."

Xander nodded and went to join Jon, and seated himself on the other side of the table, clasping his hands tightly to prevent himself from reaching out, as all his instincts screamed at him to do. He contented himself with a visual inspection, frowning at the signs of pain he discerned.

"So..." Jon squirmed uncomfortably at the other's intense scrutiny directed at himself.

"Yeah..."

"Look, kid – Xander – I don't know what to say. Like my 'Dad' I don't really believe in mumbo-jumbo, and this empathy stuff, I don't think I have it." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew they were a lie however, away from the others he could feel waves of emotions coming at him from across the table; *concern, need, hope, worthlessness* _what the hell? _, *defeat, acceptance, depression...*

Xander made to get up from the table. "I understand, I'm sorry to have bothered you with this, it's my problem to deal with..."

Jon just gaped, the emotions he could feel coming off of Xander sending him reeling. He reached out to grasp Xander's arm, but Xander flinched away. *Fear!* _Dammit, this is some roller coaster ride!_

"Don't touch me! I won't be able to control myself!" hissed Xander. Over on the patio, Jim got up and was about to come over, Blair planning to follow, but Xander whispered a quick "I'm ok Jim!" so they settled back down.

"Xander, talk to me!" Jon demanded.

"You've made your decision Jon, there's no need to drag this out any further, and if I stay here I may do something we'll both regret." Xander had his arms wrapped around himself now, and was shaking like a leaf.

"I never said I'd made a decision, just that I didn't think I had this empathy crap." He looked a little embarrassed and continued, "and I think I may have been wrong about that, based on what I've been feeling coming off of you. Guess you flipped a switch or something, 'cause all of a sudden I'm like a damned radio tower picking up signals , and right now you are transmitting loud and strong, good buddy." *hope* flared anew. "So, you had something you wanted to discuss." *apprehension, uncertainty* _Dammit how do I turn this off?_

Xander ran a nervous hand through his hair, then took a deep breath. "Ok, this is gonna sound really, really strange, but it's all the truth, and before I can ask if you are wiling to be my Guide, you need to know about my world."

Jon raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Xander took a deep breath and began "The world is older than you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their Hell. But in time, they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for man. All that remains of the Old Ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures...The last demon to leave the Earth mingled his blood with that of man, and thus the first Vampire was born...Don't look at me like that, i told you this was gonna sound strange!"

"Vampires?!" Jon cried out indignantly. The weird thing was, if he could trust what he had been feeling, Xander believed every word of what he was saying.

While Jon and Xander went off to talk, Jack decided to start passing out some food, as the burgers were almost ready. Meanwhile, his team was about to try a little 'divide and conquer.'

"So Mr. Giles, I hear you used to be a curator at the British Museum in London," Daniel began. "I hear they had a particularly impressive Egyptian exhibit a few years ago, were you in charge of that?"

"No, my specialties lie more in Ancient Mythology and Medieval Weaponry, actually," Giles replied.

"Really, so what made you decide to become a librarian then?"

Giles gave Daniel a piercing look. "I had to move to a drier climate for health reasons, actually."

"Ah."

Samantha decided to engage the girls in conversation. "So Buffy, aren't you worried about missing school?"

"As if! If it wasn't for the fact that Xander is in trouble this would be nice little vacation. I just wish I'd had a chance to shop for shoes. Willow's the brainy one, she's been stressing about homework for the past few days, if she had a portable laptop I bet she would have had it all emailed to her every day." Buffy said in disgust.

"What subject is your favourite, Willow?"

"Oh, I don't know, I like them all, but I guess if I had to pick one I'd pick Computer Science because I'm really good at it and it's easy to create complex programs and useful for hac – um – looking up records and stuff for Giles because he hates computers and sometimes we need information and I'm research girl."

_There she goes again._ Samantha marvelled.

"Buffysummers," began Teal'c. "I understand from what ColonelO'Neill has told us that you participated actively in the rescue of XanderHarris and JonathanO'Neill."

Jim said, "She certainly did. Irritated me to no end, I didn't need a civilian endangering herself, already had two kids to rescue, but she refused to stay back. She did ok, though, she downed an armed opponent with just a police club versus his gun. He never had a chance to get a shot off."

Buffy blushed. "Yeah well, where my friends are concerned, i can't just hang back, I have to get in and do what I can."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. How did you become so skilled at a young age Buffy Summers?"

"Oh, Giles has been teaching me some stuff, self-defense, that sort of thing."

While the hamburgers finished grilling, Jack grilled Sandburg and Ellison. "So Blair, if Jon decides to be this Guide, what happens next?"

"Well, Xander and Jon would complete the bond, then Jim and I'd need to give them some training. After that they'd have to decide where to live, as Sentinels and Guides cannot be apart for long periods of time."

"Yeah, about this bond, what does Jon have to do? No dressing up in paint and feathers, I hope?"

Blair smiled. "No Jack. The Sentinel completes the bond to the Guide by finishing the Imprinting, with all five senses, to 'memorize' his Guide. The Guide meanwhile uses his empathic ability to imprint and link to his Sentinel, so that he can sense when the Sentinel needs support."

"ALL five senses? Taste included?! Ewww…." Jack asked, obviously squicked.

"Er yes, but once they are bonded, Sentinels and Guides will remain very– tactile – for a few months until it tapers off a bit, but only when stressed will the full bond need to be renewed."

Just then, he heard Jon's voice raised, and something that sounded like "vampires", but that couldn't be right. "Maybe I should check on those two. Food's ready, anyways."

Buffy jumped up and said, "I'll do it!" and she ran over to them.

* * *

Buffy arrived and asked "Ok, what's the what? Are you trying to get them all over here?"

"Sorry Buffy, just trying to give Jon the 411 on the wacky that is our daily life, and he's having a hard time believing," Xander explained.

Jon glared at the both of them. "Well, do you blame me? You are spinning fairy tales about demons and magick and vampires, maybe you really are nuts!"

Xander just laughed. "I sometimes think I am, Jon."

Buffy asked, "How far did you get?"

"The 'World began as Hell' speech," Xander replied.

Buffy looked around and spotted an iron pole supporting a sapling nearby. She pulled it out of the ground and turned so that she was facing the boys and blocking the view from the patio. "Ok Jon, Xander has told you the absolute truth. The rest of it is that when vampires began to roam the Earth, a bunch of old men thousands of years ago decided to create a warrior to fight the evil things that go bump in the night. A Chosen One. They took a young girl, chained her to a rock, and imbued her with speed, strength and other abilities from a demon, and set her loose to hunt them. She was the first Slayer. And when she died, another girl was Called as the Slayer, to take her place, and so on throughout the years."

"So I suppose you are gonna tell me you are the Slayer?" Jon snarked.

"Got it in one. Smart boy. Now watch carefully." Having said this, she took the pole and bent it in half, then took the doubled pole and bent it in half again. Then she handed it over to him.

Jon gaped in shock. Trying to unbend the bar, figuring it was a trick, he failed miserably.

"Ok, so your Dad said the burgers are ready, time to eat!" Buffy winked at him as she walked away.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

"Ok, so who wants another burger?" asked Jack.

"I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth – but no thanks, I couldn't possibly eat another bite," Xander groaned, rubbing his stomach.

"I should hope not, Xander, five was quite enough!" Gilles admonished.

"Hey! I'm a growing boy!"

"You are supposed to grow UP not sideways, Xan," giggled Buffy, ducking Xander's swat of retaliation.

"Where the hell did he put it all?" Jon wondered, finishing his second burger. For the moment, they had declared a truce on the whole 'vampires are real' argument, but the meal was over now, and he was starting to feel anxious again, and he could tell that Xander was not as relaxed as he looked either. _Should I tell Jack and the team? This is just too freaky, but I didn't sense any deception, and she bent the freakin' bar in half…twice!_

Xander gave a quick shake of his head when Jon looked as if he wanted to pick up the debate in front of everyone. "Hey Jon, let's go finish our chat, k?" he said, and walked back to the table under the tree, where Jon joined him.

"Look-"

"Jon, I know it all sounds crazy, and I've got a little more crazy for you to hear. Before you agree to come with me to Sunnydale, you need to know one more thing."

"What now?!"

"Uh, well, Sunnydale is known in supernatural circles under a different name – Boca del Inferno. Literally, the Mouth of Hell."

"WHAT?!"

"It's not as bad as it sounds – well maybe a little. See, a Hellmouth is a convergence of increased supernatural energy, the area around which the barriers between dimensions are weak. The Hellmouth serves as a portal between earth and the Hell dimensions. Because of this, it attracts demons and other supernatural creatures, especially vampires, and so it is a "hot spot" for supernatural activity, especially the kind that like to try and open the Hellmouth. The good news is that the portal is closed, and we keep an eye on it to make sure it stays that way. Kind of easy to do, since it's under the school library."

"A Hellmouth under a high school…..somehow, I find that strangely appropriate," Jon snarked.

Xander decided to make his final pitch. "So now you know. Vampires, Hellmouths, Slayers. I don't know how active the 'nightlife' is like here in the Springs, or I'd promise to show you a real live – er undead – vampire as concrete proof. But let's just assume for the moment that we can supply that proof, here or in Sunnydale itself if we must. So, taking it on faith that it's real, and very dangerous, that we routinely deal with such things on a nightly basis and with even worse things that want to destroy the world from time to time, could you consider involving yourself in such a thing? You need to consider this carefully. As much as the Sentinel/Guide thing is a partnership, I can't stay out of this fight. My best friend was turned into a vampire and I had to stake him myself…"

Jon felt Xander's pain and grief flowing at this admission, and this was the final thing to convince him that he had been told the truth. He thought about what he was being asked, to commit himself to fight evil things that were the stuff of nightmares. He thought about the aimlessness of his current existence, how he was in a sort of holding pattern, waiting to age enough to be able to rejoin the SGC, which wouldn't be for a few years yet. How apart from the occasional hockey game, he would go weeks if not months at a time without seeing Jack and the others. Not that he blamed them – they had work to do, a purpose to fulfill, that was worthwhile and needed doing. He envied them that – being forced to sit on the sidelines when he had memories of over 30 years of service culminating in joining the SGC, being forced to do nothing but attend high school really rankled.

Xander watched Jon anxiously, careful as before not to touch him. He could almost see the cogs and wheels turning in Jon's brain, he was thinking so hard. He DID see a tenseness to his features, and heard his rapid heartbeat. Then the heartbeat slowed, and his features eased, and Jon seemed to relax, decision made. Xander held his breath.

"Ok Xander, I'm in. So how's this Guide thing gonna work?" He chuckled. _Figures. Instead of a Gate to alien worlds, I'll be working around a portal to Hell._

Xander smiled and the tension within him eased. He continued to resist the temptation to touch Jon - his Guide! He wanted to do this right. They got up to go talk to Blair and Jim, and figure out the next step.

* * *

Jim whispered to Blair "He's agreed. Guess we have ourselves some trainees for a couple of months or so."

Blair gave him a playful smack. "You know it isn't polite to eavesdrop."

Jim smiled and shrugged. "Sentinel senses, what can I say, and I've always been a bit of a snoop, it's why I became a detective. But you and I will need to talk later in private, and with Xander and his friends, some of the stuff the kid was talking about earlier was bizarre."

Blair agreed with Jim, he'd seen a few things, like what Giles had done to the doctor in the hospital in Cascade, that had him itching to dig deeper, but he'd restrained himself from asking since Xander needed him in his Guide capacity. He looked up as Jon and Xander came back to the patio.

Jon cleared his throat, and turned to Jack. "Jack, we need to talk."

* * *

_Well, that's …interesting, _thought Harold Maybourne. _Never a dull day around Jack. _Putting down the parabolic microphone, he picked up his camera with the telephoto lens, and snapped several pictures of Jack's guests. _These pictures and the digital recordings will create quite a stir with the higher ups. Wonder if I could snag that iron bar as a souvenir later? _he mused to himself.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

A/N: Ok, I know by the time Jon the clone appeared Teal'c had gotten rid of Junior and was using Tretonin but for the purposes of this crossover, that never happened, or may happen later. I reserve the right to fiddle with timelines and such, after all, can't stick to exact canon when doing crossovers, that's pretty much the point, isn't it? heehee. :)

* * *

Jon led Jack inside the house, and then further into the Colonel's bedroom, and then shut the door.

"Well, this can't be good," Jack observed.

Still feeling his injuries, Jon sat on the bed and leaned back against the headboard. He looked around at the familiar/not-familiar room, noting the minor changes that had been made since when the memories he had in common with his DNA donor ended, and the similarities and differences to his bedroom in his own apartment. "Like what you've done with the place, Jack."

"Quit stalling. What's up?"

"Ok, no beating around the bush. I've decided to become Xander's Guide."

"No, no way, absolutely not! Are you crazy? We don't know these people, but one thing I do know, they are very weird and freaky. I absolutely forbid this!" Jack ranted.

Jon glared and hissed at jack. "You – forbid – it? What the hell right have you to have any say in my life?"

"You are my clone, I am the adult here, and this is a monumentally bad idea!"

Jon got up and confronted Jack, poking him with every point he made. "Jack, I may look like a teenager, but I have all of our memories and experience up to the day I was cloned. I am not a teenager, and I am most certainly not your property! Besides, apart from a hockey game every six months or so, you don't even bother to find out if I am alive! You and the team both ignore me for months on end while you go traipsing through the Stargate and I am stuck in high school. Do you have any idea what it's like being abandoned by all your friends? Having no purpose in your life other than getting your homework done on time, when you used to save the world from God-complexed aliens on a regular basis? Never having anyone respect you or listen to you because you are trapped in a teenager's raging-hormone crazed body?" Jon got progressively louder as he ranted, backing Jack up step by step as he advanced on him angrily. He used the anger he felt coming off Jack to augment his own righteous fury. He also felt Jack's guilt at some of the things Jon had said, and felt satisfaction at finally venting what he'd been feeling for so many months.

"But-"

"Ahh! No! I don't want to hear it. I have made up my mind and I will be doing this."

Jack sighed. He should have realized what was going on. It was so very easy after all to imagine how he would feel if he were in Jon's shoes. "Fine... I'll even sign over this house to you so you and Xander will have a bigger place to live than your apartment, I presume you have to live together, since you have to be close to your Sentinel. It's not like I use this place much, and I'll still have the cabin at the lake."

"I'm not staying in Colorado Springs Jack. I'm moving to Sunnydale."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Jack shouted. "Are you crazy? You just got back from being kidnapped by the NID, you wanna put out a welcome mat for them now?"

"Sunnydale is a small town Jack, strangers will be noticed there. Anyways, the NID can and have just as easily kidnapped me from here as from there. And Xander will be there – from the stories Blair and Jim have been telling, no one messes with a Sentinel's Guide."

Jack continued to argue, but Jon refused to be swayed. He knew what he wanted, what he needed, and he knew he could make a difference in Sunnydale. They were a bunch of teenagers fighting horrible things, they needed all the help they could get. Not that he'd tell Jack any of it, Jack had enough on his plate to deal with, and he'd lock Jon up under the mountain and throw away the key if he learned about the things that went on in Sunnydale.

Jon decided to play his final card. "I am doing this and that's all there is to it. One final thing Jack. I don't want you getting any cute ideas. If you or the General try anything, I have some papers and other things stashed away that will go to 3 major news agencies and make the Pentagon cry."

"Oh fer cryin' out loud!"

* * *

While Jon had his little 'talk' with Jack, Xander tried to distract himself by studying the others on Jack's 'team." Having been focused solely on Jon, he hadn't paid them much attention til now.

Daniel was talking animatedly with Blair about his Sentinel research, while Giles listened in and asked questions, the better to understand Xander's situation. He was a bit of a puzzle to Xander; he wondered what a guy with doctorates in Anthropology, Linguistics and Archaeology was doing on a deep space telemetry project.

Sam Carter he could understand, with her PhD in Theoretical Astrophysics was a better fit. She was also seriously hot..._what is it with me and my attraction to strong-willed women?_ He turned away, blushing, as she seemed to feel someone looking at her and looked around.

Then there was Murray. He was just as much of an anomaly on the team as Daniel. No one had said what he did, but he was clearly a warrior. He barely said anything, but Xander knew this man was dangerous. It was in the way he moved, and spoke, and everything he did. And something was off about him. Xander wasn't sure what it was, but something was definitely wiggy. He tried to focus on what his senses were telling him...

...and then abruptly found himself coming too, with Blair at his side. "I zoned, didn't I?" he asked. Everyone was staring at him, this was sooo embarrassing.

"Yup. Come and sit down." Blair said, tugging him over to where he and Jim were seated.

As the rest went back to their conversations, Giles took Daniel aside and asked him about the Egyptian artifacts he seen during his career as a curator.

Xander was grateful for the privacy. He whispered so only Jim and Blair could hear. "Jim, are you getting anything off of Murray? I don't know what it is but something about him is weird. I zoned trying to narrow it down, but no luck."

Jim replied in irritation, "Yeah, I haven't been able to pinpoint anything specific either, kid."

Blair was surprised. "Oh wow, Big Guy, why didn't you say anything sooner? That's definitely a first for you."

"Wasn't really a chance to say anything before Chief, was planning on mentioning it later."

"Ok, well, try something for me, ok? Dial down touch, and taste, and close your eyes. One at a time, focus your sense of hearing and then your sense of smell on Murray, and see if either of them yield more information."

Jim did as his Guide directed. He filtered out the smells around him, until all that he smelled was Murray. _Hmm, wonder why he smells like the desert in Colorado Springs? And is that...ozone? And some weird spicy smell I've never encountered before._ Jim 'filed' those impressions away and moved on to his sense of hearing. He opened his eyes in shock almost immediately – Murray had a second heartbeat! And it was coming from his abdomen, where he could also hear distinct sounds of ...movement... Jim stared at Murray's stomach, dialling his sight way up and thought he could detect minute shifts under the man's shirt. _Ok, now I know what the kid means when he says something gives him a 'wiggins'._ Jim thought.

He whispered to Blair, "I've found something, he is definitely not normal, but we had better wait to discuss it til we get back to the hotel."

* * *

While Jim and Blair were doing their thing, Xander's attention wandered and he found himself doing what he had tried not to – listen in on Jon and Jack.

{..have all of our memories and experience up to the day I was cloned...} _Clone? Aliens? Holy shit! _As he listened on, he heard Jon describe how he'd been neglected, and had to rein in his anger before he decided to storm in there and smack Jack around. He calmed himself though, and then it occurred to him that he now probably knew what was different about Murray. Hearing what Jim said to Blair, he figured Jim would be able to confirm his suspicions.

He looked over at Murray, who was currently answering Buffy's questions about the local shopping mall, of all things! Then he looked at Buffy, and saw signs of uneasiness; her fingers twitched and he saw her reach back unconsciously for something that wasn't there. _Looks like Buffy is feeling something, too. Dammit, I hope that means Murray isn't some sort of alien demon!_

* * *

After Jon and Jack came back out, they went straight over to where Jim, Blair and Xander sat.

Jack got right to the point. "I am not happy about this, but Jon has advised me of his decision, and now we need to discuss where we go from here. It's getting late, and my temper is getting the best of me, so I suggest we take this up again tomorrow. Say tennish?"

Xander really wanted to complete the bond tonight, but agreed to wait til tomorrow. He wanted to talk to Jon, but didn't have a chance to get him alone, and before he knew it they were on the way back to the hotel.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Once back in the hotel, Jim and Xander both declared to the group "We need to talk."

Xander looked at Jim and chuckled. "Yeah, I bet you have a few questions…"

"Kid, right now the only question in my mind is where I'm gonna get enough straight-jackets in varying sizes for you and your friends." Jim quipped.

"I beg your pardon?!" Giles demanded, taking his glasses off for a good polish.

"Chill Giles, Jim overheard my conversation with Jon – I TOLD you we should have come clean to he and Blair, it's not easy to keep secrets from a Sentinel, you know!" Buffy just glared at an unrepentant Jim.

"Yes, well, the Council -"

"Bugger the Council, Giles. Oh man, your Brit-speak is rubbing off on me, next thing you know I'll be drinking tea." Xander said, shuddering and looking chagrined. Seeing that Jim was getting impatient, he got back on track. "Right, so what do you want to know?"

Jim got right to the point. "Tell us about vampires, the Slayer and the Hellmouth."

As Giles launched into his explanations, with input from Buffy, Xander and Willow, Jim looked over at his partner. Blair paid rapt attention, and didn't seem at all as freaked as Jim felt. He snorted to himself. _I shouldn't be surprised, Blair is an expert in the weird and unusual._

As Giles wound down, Blair had a few comments to make. It seemed he'd read certain legends during the course of his research that touched upon the Slayer 'myth', but hadn't pursued them since he was focused on Sentinels.

"Rupert, do you think Slayers and Sentinels are related somehow? Both have enhanced senses and abilities, Sentinels even have prophetic dreams."

"It's possible Blair, but as the creation of the Slayer pre-dates the written word, we have very few accounts of it, and I don't recall any mention of Sentinels in the few records that we have of the passed down oral traditions."

"Jim didn't know about vampires and demons before this, so he must not attract them the way a Slayer does, otherwise there's no way he wouldn't know." Willow chimed in.

"That's a good point Willow," Giles said.

Blair thought about it. "Sentinels are protectors of the tribe, though, not so much hunters like Slayers are, so I think if they were created at the same time, they were created for different purposes."

"Fascinating, when we get back to Sunnydale I will definitely have to do some research into this. Perhaps even take a trip to England and look into the Council's libraries." Blair enthusiastically promised to help, excited at the prospect of discovering new information on Sentinels.

"Much as the thought of digging through a bunch of dusty, moldy old books thrills me, the weirdness train is still chugging merrily along." Jim grimaced, as he knew what else Xander had to say, but his friends and Blair just looked at him in curiosity.

"What's the what, Xander?" asked Buffy.

"Well, Jim will back me up on this when I say that I'm pretty sure that Murray is not human."

"I knew it!" Buffy crowed. "That guy was pinging on my slay-dar, I knew something was off about him!"

Jim backed up Xander. "Yeah, I was sensing something but I couldn't pinpoint it. Blair helped me focus my senses and I detected a second heartbeat coming from his stomach. And I saw something moving around under his shirt."

"Dear Lord! What would a demon be doing in the American military?" Giles wondered in alarm.

"Well, um, actually," Xander said, "Ithinkhesanalien."

"WHAT?!" everyone, including Jim, looked over at Xander incredulously.

"Yeah, um, I overheard Jon's talk with Jack – this was while you were focusing on Murray, Jim – and Jon mentioned a bunch of things while he was ranting, that lead me to believe that Jack and his team are part of a secret military project that deals with aliens. Who believed their cover story about 'Deep Space Telemetry' anyways? He mentioned something called a Stargate that they 'go through', and that they had to save the world from aliens with god-complexes and stuff. Putting that together with the strangeness that is Murray, I think he is probably an alien that works with them."

The others were stunned into silence. All that is, except for Buffy. "Oh great, as if vampires and demons trying to destroy the world weren't enough! Giles, please tell me I don't have to deal with aliens too?" she whined.

"Bugger."

Seated on a park bench, eating his lunch and watching the tourists take their pictures of the Monument, Senator Kinsey pondered the latest NID/SGC debacle.

_How does he do it? O'Neill has the devil's own luck, and his clone is no different. That abomination should have been handed over to the NID for study the moment it was clear it wasn't a real human, the advances we could make in cloning and genetic engineering could have advanced our Super-Soldier program by leaps and bounds! It is vital to the safety of the United States that we are able to produce superior soldiers to fight our enemies, alien or otherwise, and we have to be willing to use any means to accomplish our goals, why can no one else but myself see that?!_

Finished with his lunch, the Senator was about to get up from the bench when someone sat beside him. "You're late, Mr. Maybourne."

"Sorry Senator, had to be sure you weren't being watched."

"Well, why the secret meeting? Why couldn't you submit your report by official channels?"

"Well frankly, Senator, I was afraid my superiors might think I'd lost my marbles and 'retire' me, if you get my drift. Also, knowing your pet project, I thought you might be interested in hearing about what I've learned…" Harry Maybourne explained what he'd heard and seen, and showed the recording and photos to back him up. He was puzzled when the Senator did not seem surprised at the mention of Demons or Vampires, although he did seem excited about the enhanced humans. "You knew about Demons already, didn't you?" he asked.

"Well, yes, it's one of the many reasons I am so devoted to my 'pet project' as you call it. We need soldiers with superior strength and other abilities to fight not just the Goa'uld and other hostile aliens, but hostile entities here on Earth! I've never heard of this Slayer before, though. You said she bent an iron bar in half with her bare hands?"

"Yes sir, and in half again. It was an impressive feat. Then there's her friend, the boy is apparently a 'Sentinel' and the O'Neill boy is a 'Guide', whatever that may mean. It sounded like these were titles, much like 'Slayer", which might mean they are enhanced somehow, as well. Unfortunately I didn't manage to overhear any explanations about that."

"Well, well. Things are looking up. With the O'Neill clone moving to Sunnydale, we'll get another crack at him, plus throw in the others as a bonus. And I think it's time to revive the DRI."

"DRI, Senator?" Maybourne inquired.

"Demon Research Initiative. It was a WWII project to study Vampires and how they might be controlled and used in the fight against the Nazis. It got mothballed, but I think its time has come again. In Sunnydale there will be plenty of subjects for study, and we can section off part of the DRI's labs for the SSRI – Super Soldier Research Initiative before you ask - not terribly original I know, but there's something to be said for keeping things simple." Decision made, Kinsey issued some orders. "Maybourne, follow these people to Sunnydale and do some 'advanced reconnaissance', I believe it's called? It will take a few months, perhaps a year even, to get the necessary facilities operational in Sunnydale. I'll see to it that you get a team assigned to you for any undercover work, since the clone would recognize you on sight."

"Very well, sir."

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Jon paced in the living room, limping along back and forth with nervous energy. i Where are they? He'd better get here before I lose my nerve! /i When the doorbell finally rang he nearly jumped out of his skin, then froze, uncertain whether to run to or from what – who – was on the other side.

Jack, who had been silently observing this all morning, quietly spoke. "You don't have to go through with this, Jon. If you've changed your mind, I can tell them to go." But as he spoke, he saw Jon take a deep breath, and push away the uncertainty.

"Jack, I've made my choice," he said, and opened the door.

Xander shifted nervously and gave a tentative smile. "Hi Jon, ready for our big day?"

Jon could feel Xander's anxiety, and quickly reassured him. "Sure am, buddy! Let's get this show on the road!" And so saying, he stepped silently aside to allow everyone to come in. Jack was puzzled, but the others, especially the Sunnydalians, smiled in approval at this strange behavior.

Blair strode in and took charge immediately, much to Jack's bemusement. Jim just smiled indulgently at his partner.

"Ok the traditional Chopec bonding ceremony generally took place in a sacred temple in the jungle, after 3 days of fasting, purification rituals and spirit-walking by the prospective bond-mates, but we are gonna take some shortcuts." Xander could be heard to sigh in relief at this. "Jack, you and Jim please push the furniture to the sides and clear some space in the middle of the living room. Mr. Giles and Willow, please proceed with the cleansing rites we discussed. Buffy, help me prepare the area, please."

Buffy stepped forward with a rolled up grass mat, which she and Blair placed in the middle of the room. Then she went to close the drapes of the bay window. Daniel, who had been in the backyard staying out of Jack's way all morning, came in and was immediately roped in to help.

"Daniel! Come, you'll be interested in this. See the symbols I've painted on the mat? First, we have the Sun, and then there's an eagle, and a hyena. Normally it would be a wolf or a panther perhaps, but Xander's spirit guide is a hyena, so that's what I painted."

"And the eagle?" Daniel asked.

Blair smiled. "Call it a hunch, had a dream last night, saw an eagle riding on the shoulders of a hyena." Blair passed out some pillar candles. "Here, place these at the corners of the mat, will you?"

Giles and Willow drew Xander and Jon into the bedroom.

"Ok, strip."

Jon's jaw dropped and he gaped at them. "WHAT?!"

Blushing beet red, Willow repeated herself. "You heard me, strip. J - just down to your shorts, though, not all the way!"

"You just wanna see me naked, Will," Xander joked.

"Xander!" protested Willow, smacking him on the arm.

"Ow!"

Giles sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Could we please get on with this?" Removing some supplies from his bag, he turned to Jon. "Alright, obviously we aren't going to put you both through three days of rituals, but we do need to prepare you. Xander, I know you didn't eat this morning. What about you, Jon; you skipped breakfast this morning as Blair instructed you, yes?"

"Yes sir, don't think I could have eaten a thing anyways, as nervous as I am."

"Alright, good –er, that you followed instructions, that is." Handing him a flask, he said, "Drink this, it's a ceremonial tea designed to help with the formation of the bond." As Jon drank, Giles took out a small clay pot and dipped his finger in it, then began to draw a stylized eagle on his chest. Beside him, Willow had given Xander his own flask, and was drawing a stylized hyena on his own chest.

"Gah, this tastes awful," Jon complained.

"Couldn't agree with you more, Jon-o. What the hell did you make this with, G-Man, used gym socks?" Xander grimaced.

Giles smirked, "Wouldn't you like to know?" Next, Giles and Willow used eagle feathers to sprinkle 'water from a virgin spring' (otherwise known as Evian bottled spring water, needs must, after all) over the pair.

Pulling some fabric that turned out to be a couple of simple golden yellow wrap-around tunics out of his bag, Giles handed them over to the boys. "Put these on; tie them loosely so the design on your chests is visible."

Pulling yet more fabric out of his bag i …and just how much stuff does he have in there?/i wondered Jon, Giles said, "Right, final step before we go out there, close your eyes, we need to put the blindfolds and the bindings on…"

"Whoa, wait a minute…" Jon backed up, a little bit panicked.

"Oh do relax, young man, you're not my type!" Giles said in exasperation.

"Eeep!" Willow squeeked, if possible blushing even more deeply red than she had earlier.

Xander, hearing Jon's heart racing wildly, spoke. "Hey G-man, I think you broke Willow, wanna look after her and give me and Jon a moment?" Giles nodded and took Willow aside.

Xander spoke softly to Jon, to calm him. "Hey buddy, it's gonna be ok. No kidnappers here, just friends. This is just part of the ritual, right? And it won't last long, Blair was spouting some stuff in the car about how the prospective bondmates had to present themselves before the community bound separately before they were bound together, it's supposed to be symbolic but I sorta zoned out on him…not a sensory zone-out, more of a boring-professory zone-out."

Jon snorted in amusement, much calmer now as Xander's tone and the emotions he could feel emanating from him soothed him. "Ok, let's get this party started."

"That's the ticket, Jon-o. What say we put the bond in bondage?"

Willow smacked him again. "XAN-DER!"

"And again, I say Ow!" he said, rubbing his arm. "I ain't looking for any DSM to go with the B, Wills!"

"Eeep!" Willow squeeked yet again, but thought better of smacking Xander this time.

"Wow, I didn't think it was possible for her to get any redder," Jon quipped.

"Oh yeah, that one's pretty high up there on the Willow blush-o-meter, I give it a 9." Xander snickered, but ducked behind Giles, just in case.

"Oh dear Lord," Giles muttered. "Alright, that'll be enough of that. May we continue, please? Good. Jon, there's nothing to worry about, this is symbolic only, of the ties that bind you to your past, that must be freed before you can bond with your Sentinel. Cross your wrists before you if you please," Giles requested. Then he wound a strip of red silk around the wrists and tied it off loosely. Next he brought another strip of the same red silk up and proceeded to blindfold Jon.

Just before his eyes were covered, he could see Xander getting bound somewhat more elaborately than he. His hands were not only tied but covered by silken mitts, and Willow had gagged him, too!" "Hey, what gives with the gag? You aren't doing that to me too are you?"

"No, Mr. O'Neill. Xander's five senses must be symbolically bound, he's getting ear and nose plugs too. Besides, I much prefer him this way, the quiet is rather nice, wouldn't you agree?"

A muffled but indignant "Hey!" was heard through the gag, as well as giggles from Willow.

Hearing a slow drumbeat coming from the living room, Giles knew the others were ready. "Alright, we'll lead you to the ritual circle and perform the last bit of the purification rites when you are in place."

Willow took Xander by his crossed and bound wrists and led him out, Giles following with Jon.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

As he was led into the other room, Jon reached for the support of Giles' arm, feeling a little light-headed. _Any time now…_ he smirked to himself.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Jack bellowed.

"Oh man, I guess I should have warned you…" began Blair.

"Ya think?!"

"Well technically the ritual calls for them to be preferably 'skyclad' but there's some leeway, loincloths were permissible, which I figure translates to boxers in our culture-"

"Yeah, ok, whatever, let's just get on with this," sighed Jack.

"Ok, sure. Mr. Giles, Willow, lead them into the circle please. Place Xander over the Hyena symbol and Jon over the Eagle." Blair entered the circle and took the bound hands of both the young men, drawing them together, putting Jon's hands in Xander's. He nodded to Willow to finish the purification rites.

While Willow lit a bundle of herbs and set it to smoking, then waved it around the boys and Blair, then circled the mat three times, Blair spoke. "We gather here as a tribe to bear witness the bonding of a new Sentinel and Guide. They stand before us, ready to shed their old life and to accept a new. Xander and Jon, by accepting this bond, you enter into a life-long partnership, and accept a sacred duty to protect the Tribe." Removing Xander's bindings, he continued. "Sentinel, open your senses, step forward and read your Guide. Commit his essence to memory and forge the ties that will bind you soul to soul."

Xander did as Blair commanded and opened his senses wide, wider than they'd ever been. Facilitated by the tea he'd been given, his senses had become acute and he quickly focused them solely on Jon, shutting out everyone else. Approaching Jon, he began a thorough inspection, cataloging in minutest detail everything he saw, heard, smelled, felt and tasted. He ran his fingers over Jon's body lightly, non-intrusively, murmuring quietly to his Guide in a reassuring fashion, feeling the heat and texture of his skin, the silkiness of his hair, the roughness of his fledgling beard. He listened to the blood as it circulated in Jon's body, to his breaths as they went in and out, and to his steady heartbeat, and committed those rhythms to memory. His nostrils flared as he inhaled his Guide's scent, a slight sweaty but not unpleasant musk. His eyes recorded everything, every scar, every pore, every curve of muscle. He even ran his tongue briefly at the nape of Jon's neck, to complete the sensory imprinting. He slowly dialed back his senses to a comfortable level. He could feel the bond forming, and waited patiently for Jon to do his part.

When Xander had stilled, Blair stepped forward and unbound Jon's hands, and placed them over Xander's heart, then stepped back once more. "Guide, here is your Sentinel. Open your heart and your mind, commit his essence to memory and complete the forging of the ties that will bind you soul to soul."

Inhaling the fumes still swirling around them, Jon felt his light-headedness increase, and it seemed as if a door opened inside him, and he was flooded with the emotions he could sense from everyone around him. Before it could overwhelm him, he turned his concentration to Xander by focusing on the heartbeat beneath his palms. He could feel Xander's strength of resolve, to protect Jon from all dangers, his happiness and satisfaction he felt to finally have a Guide, yet a lingering uncertainty that Jon might not want this. Jon sent reassurance to Xander, let him feel his own happiness to finally have a purpose again, and the beginnings of friendship that he felt toward Xander. He felt Xander's uncertainty melt away and the happiness grew. It was quite a heady feeling actually, and he felt himself smiling along with Xander. The emotions flowed between them in an escalating feedback loop, and Jon felt the bond snap into place. He regained consciousness of his surroundings, with one difference – he was no longer feeling the emotional 'background noise' that had been a constant and irritating yet unnoticed presence. Now that he was conscious of its absence, and the relief it provided, he wondered how he had not noticed it before. No wonder he'd been in such a bad mood lately! Now, it was as if Xander's strength shielded him from these outside influences. He experimented briefly and attempted to sense the others, and immediately he could feel the ambient emotions: Jack's ever-present irritation, and fear for Jon's safety, Daniel's and Giles' curiosity, Willow's hope, Buffy's mild boredom, Jim and Blair's calm acceptance. Satisfied that he could control this new ability and hadn't lost anything, he allowed the shield to come back and basked in the quiet. He felt Xander's presence through the bond, but it was comforting. A hole that had existed in his soul when he'd been revealed to be just a clone and had 'lost' his close friendship with Daniel was finally filled, and he knew he'd never be alone again.

Blair came forward once more. "We the Tribe bear witness to the bond that the Sentinel Xander and the Guide Jon have forged. I call now on the spirits to acknowledge and claim them!" As he finished, a bright light flared and not unexpectedly, the Hyena appeared. What was unexpected, to all save Blair, was the appearance of a glowing eagle, which swooped down from the rafters with a loud cry to perch on Jon's shoulder.

Hyena spoke the formal words of ritual. "Aconcagua, so I name you, and welcome you to the ranks of Sentinel. May your senses always be true, and your strength never fail. Be vigilant and guard your Guide well, so that both of you may fulfill your sacred duty to protect the Tribe."

The eagle then spoke. "Greetings Q'orianka. So I name you, and welcome you to the ranks of Guide. May your heart always be pure and your strength never fail. Be vigilant and guard your Sentinel well, so that both of you may fulfill your sacred duty to protect the Tribe."

The spirits then spoke as one. "Know that we watch over you, our chosen, and that you may call upon us when need is great, and we will come." They faded away, with a parting shot and a cackle from the Hyena "Go on, pups, time to get a move on and go home, you've lingered here long enough!"

A/N 1: Aconcagua = pronounced Ah-con-ca-gwa and means Stone Sentinel or also White Sentinel in Quechua.

A/N 2: Q'orianka = pronounced Kwor-e-anka and means 'Golden Eagle' in Quechua.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Oooookaaaay," drawled Jack. He was never going to get used to this spiritual mumbo-jumbo. "Now that zoo-time is over, I guess congratulations are in order." Jack looked at the two boys, who had returned to their mutual self-absorption after the spirits had disappeared. He stepped up to tap Jon on the shoulder, and abruptly found himself with a face full of snarling Xander.

"MINE!" Xander shouted, thrusting Jon behind him. Then he shoved Jack down on his ass and glared at and the rest of the group, warning them to keep back..

Willow, thinking to calm Xander down, tried to approach him. "It's okay Xan…" and just as quickly as Jack, she found herself shoved back….by Jon!

"MY Sentinel!" Jon growled.

"Whoa! Okay guys, everyone just back away a bit. The bond is newly formed, and a strong one, and they are a little over-sensitive from the ritual," Blair explained.

Xander meanwhile, pulled Jon back behind him from where he'd stepped forward to confront Willow. He and Jon shuffled about trying to keep themselves between the rest, in a weird tapdance of possessive protection.

Jack rolled his eyes in exasperation…this was gonna be a long day.

Blair had managed to herd the boys into the bedroom, to change back into their clothes and 'commune' or something. Jack was gonna get some answers. "Sandburg, explanations, now!"

Daniel knew that tone of voice. "Jack-"

"No, Daniel, my quota of freakiness has been reached, the cup of weirdness runneth over, and I want some explanations right the hell now! How long are they gonna be like this? If no one can even get near them, it's gonna make things pretty damn hard." He glared at Blair, and Jim growled in warning. "See? Look, they are still like this after how many years?"

Surprising Blair, Jim was the one to answer. "Listen Colonel. It's pretty obvious that right now the boys are ultra-protective of each other, but that's natural. Blair told you, the bond is new, they need the closeness, the touch, the contact right now. Also, keep in mind that Xander was without a Guide for some time, and their mutual trauma from the kidnapping. These things have them into what Sandburg calls Blessed Protector mode. It will get better, and then they will become a normal Sentinel-Guide pairing. Make no mistake, they will still be protective of each other, but unless something stresses the bond, such as one of the pairing being in mortal danger or injured, they won't snap at the slightest touch or approach."

From somewhere behind him, Jim heard a softly whispered "Oh dear", along with the sound of a cloth polishing glasses. Jim wondered what he'd said to fluster the man, but didn't turn around to enquire.

"Right then, folks, let's do as Jack was about to suggest earlier then, and celebrate. Food's ready!"

With relief, everyone went through the kitchen and out back once more, to partake of the 'feast."

Eventually, Xander and Jon came out to join them, cleaned up and dressed once more (to Jack's relief and Buffy and Willow's disappointment.) They sat together on one of the benches, and they stuck close to each other and exchanged light touches on the arms, as if to reassure each that the other was still there. There was a calm content feeling radiating from them both, though. The tenseness was gone, and neither growled if someone approached too closely.

Jack's crankiness slowly melted away as he observed the pair, and saw that Jim had been right. He could only hope that things would be better from here, Jon deserved some normal in his life. i Well, as normal as this Sentinel-Guide thing is, anyways/i he sighed to himself.

Xander threw his and Jon's bags onto the twin beds in Giles' spare room, then threw himself onto one of the beds, groaning in relief. "OOOF! Home sweet Hellmouth! Never thought I'd say this but I'm glad to be back. If I never see another airport again, I'll be a happy Xanman!"

Harry Maybourne read the files of the cadets he was being sent. Just three for now: Riley Finn, Forrest Gates, Graham Miller. Fresh young faces just out of West Point Academy. Right now, he had orders to have them enrol in UC Sunnydale, and integrate themselves as unobtrusively as possible into Sunnydale proper. They were to observe only at this juncture, as the underground base was only just beginning to be constructed. And wasn't that a pain and a half, as HE had to oversee the entire project, the construction, requisitioning of supplies, eventual hiring of personnel, filling out Gods-be-damned paperwork in TRIPLICATE… Maybourne sighed. Maybe if he begged, he could go back to spying on Jack; O'Neill was a thorn in his side, but at least the paperwork was minimal.


End file.
